


Are You My Mother?

by projekt_azrael



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Family, Fluff, Post-Canon, okay it's angsty at first and then it gets somft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:29:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28967607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/projekt_azrael/pseuds/projekt_azrael
Summary: new moms welcomed little Finn into Etheria less than a month ago, but already has Adora noticed the little differences in how Finn behaves around Catra compared to her...
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 565





	Are You My Mother?

A soft chirp, that’s all it was. The slightest noise of distress from the three-week-old kitten. Adora saw Catra’s ear flick from across the room as she reacted to her kitten’s call for their mother. 

Adora cooed the infant and brushed a gentle knuckle against their fur. “Hey, it’s alright, little one. No need to fuss.” Her voice hushed, reassuring, more or less for Catra’s sake. But the brunette was too quick. Adora huffed quietly to herself as she saw the shape of her wife coming to the rescue right as Finn began to cry. 

They were sleeping quietly for maybe 10 minutes. _Maybe_. Adora felt her whole chest ache at the sight of Finn instantly calming down after being passed over to Catra. 

The magicat chirped back to her kitten once or twice and scented them, almost as if to reassure that they were safe. And just like that, silence; easily enough did the kit lull right back to sleep. 

Catra smirked. “So needy.” She teased her baby with a soft kiss to the fluffy blonde hair atop their head. She glanced down at Adora who sat very stiff in the rocking chair but flashed a quick smile. 

She tried to laugh it off, even making a lighthearted joke of it. “Not even a month old and they’re already picking favorites, I see.” Adora choked on the lump hiding in her throat but hid it well through a snicker. 

It had been three weeks since Adora and Catra welcomed little Finn into Etheria. Born in the early hours of the morning, the tiniest mews shattered the anticipation hanging in the air. From the moment she laid eyes on the kit, Adora felt nothing but love for the infant. Even now when it seemed unrequited. She was quick to fight away the intrusive thought that lingered in her brain. 

And so was Catra. “No, they _aren’t_.” She emphasized and gently poked her kit’s nose despite their disliking. “They’re just being picky.” She smirked to herself and watched Adora rise from the rocking chair, a certain heaviness still hanging on those broad shoulders as her dull blue eyes remained steady on the kit. _Uh oh._ Catra knew that look, she could practically _hear_ the intrusive thoughts flooding around in Adora’s head. “You’re a walking heater, babe. They probably just got too hot laying on your chest.” 

_And what about the times before that?_ She wanted to say but held her tongue, truthfully, she wanted to cry too but did her best to resist. Adora saw the way Finn chirped for their mother, and how Catra, a _magicat_ , could easily communicate back, while Adora, a _First One_ , could do nothing. Catra already nursed Finn, cleaned them, purred, and trilled to calm them down. 

But Adora couldn’t. 

Finn knew Catra was their mother. And it was starting to feel like Adora was nothing more than a stranger to them. Finn’s eyes had barely opened and were less than functional at such a young age. All they could do was mew and chirp for help when cradled in unfamiliar arms. 

Adora wanted to say something back. She knew Catra was only trying to help ease her anxious mind, but part of her couldn’t shake the feeling that her own child didn’t know who she was. 

“You should head to bed.” The brunette quickly intervened. “You’ve got your meeting with the King and Queen tomorrow morning, remember?” Catra kissed Adora’s cheek. “I’ll take care of Finn for the night, don’t worry. They’re just being fussy.” 

“But... you’re always the one taking care of them.” Adora brushed a finger down her wife’s cheek and eyed the infant as they curled into their mother’s chest, those little paws tugging at Catra’s fur for security. They didn’t seem very fussy _now_... probably since Adora was no longer the one holding them. The ache returned. “I can tell you’re tired and I want to help.” Adora reached a gentle finger to stroke down Finn’s cheek but quickly pulled back as they released the softness noise of distress. 

A _spit_ then a _hiss_. 

It was small and defensive, but still obvious as to what it meant. And it felt like a knife had gone straight through the blonde’s chest. Having grown up with a magicat, Adora knew damn well what that meant: _back off._

She was speechless, her hand recoiled instantly, and took every bit of strength she had just to choke down the ache that wrecked her chest. 

Catra looked just as surprised at the little spitfire in her arms. She tucked her head closer to the kitten’s and trilled softly in reassurance, possibly even scolding the newborn for reacting in such a way. Her kitten mewed back and curled deeper into her chest tuffs. 

Before Catra could reassure both of her blondes, Adora had backed away and quietly mumbled under her breath. “I’m... gonna head to bed.” 

An obvious lie. 

Despite changing her clothes and laying down to rest, Adora was still awake even hours later. Catra had since put Finn down for the night and crawled into the bed behind her wife. 

The crib was stationed on Adora’s side of the bed per her request; Catra did all the hard work bringing Finn into the world so Adora felt that the least she could do was tend to the baby’s needs in the middle of the night. 

But now laying face to face with the tiny kitten, their breaths smooth and controlled, comfortable and safe, only acted as a deeper stab to the heart. 

Adora couldn’t purr, chirp, trill, or meow like Catra could. She didn’t clean or feed Finn the way Catra would. And it showed. 

There was a disconnect. Something that separated the two and had for nearly three weeks now. Adora glanced down at her own hand and saw the magic glow within her palm. She remembered the first time she felt the little flutters of kicks thump against her touch, it was something only she could do, her “ _magical connection_ ”, as she called it. How useless it felt now that Finn had hissed her away. Adora curled her fingers into a fist as the glow from the center of her palm faded away. 

The ache in her chest grew stronger, this was her own child rejecting her, right? They didn’t want to be held or cared for by Adora. They didn’t want to be bathed or fed by Adora. 

_But... I’m your mother too._

With a heavy sniff, Adora finally realized she’d been crying. She cleared her tear-stained face and pushed down the ache that tightened her airway. 

Arms tightly wrapped around her midsection from behind and curled in close. A purr began to thrum against Adora’s back to help ease her racing mind. 

“They love you, Adora.” Catra reminded softly, her cheek nuzzling against her wife’s neck. “They love you _so_ much, I promise.” A gentle kiss pressed against the back of Adora’s neck. Guilt hung on her shoulders, wishing she had more than just those three meek words as reassurance. Catra inhaled her wife’s comforting scent, finding herself confused by Finn’s behavior too. The amount of time Adora and Catra spent together with Finn should be enough for them to recognize their mothers from smell alone. Not even instinct could help her answer that question. She just hoped Finn would soon realize that Adora was so much more than a stranger. Catra curled tighter to her wife, _knowing_ how delicate and caring the First One is and will continue to be for their kit. “Just give it a little more time, please? I promise it’ll get better.”

And that was it, what was at first a sniff and a strained throat turned into tears and a trembling sob. Adora curled deeper into the fetal position, her vision blurred from the tears that welled in her eyes. She turned her cheek into the pillow and muffled her cries. Catra held her close, hushing her sobs and stroking her hair, reminding her over and over again. “ _They love you_.” She continued as long as Adora needed, or at least until she finally believed it. 

***

She hardly slept that night, no surprise there. Adora opened her groggy eyes and saw the bassinet cradling a sound asleep kitten. Catra’s arms were still wrapped around her waist from last night. A gentle smile curled the corner of her lips but faltered all too quickly, the familiar ache clouding her thoughts once again. With a heavy sigh and a hushed grunt, Adora pushed herself up and out from under the sheets. Those dull blue eyes lingered on the magi-kitten for just a moment before she turned away and rose from the bed; no use waking them up, especially if it would only upset them.

Just as she reached the bathroom door, a soft noise of distress came from the bassinet. Adora peeked over one shoulder and began to move but stopped herself mid stride. Catra reacted instantly to the whimpering kitten beside the bed and though groggy from being half asleep, she easily managed to silence her kitten. More importantly, the image of Catra being able to do so effortlessly within a few seconds of crying out was now burned into Adora’s brain. _You couldn’t do that._ Vicious thoughts mocked her.

Adora choked on lump in her throat, grabbed a fresh set of clothes from the dresser, and continued for the bathroom to shower. The upcoming meeting with the Brightmoon council was about to be the slowest, most boring thing she would ever attend in her life. She had already planned on not paying attention the entire time, and now she would be spending that time thinking about the newborn rejecting her.

Adora sighed and leaned further into the warm water to rest her forehead against the shower wall. Part of her wanted to lightly bang her head in frustration, maybe just to forget the thoughts that clouded over her stupid brain.

With a tired sigh, Adora strained her jaw to bear the heavy weight on her heart and rushed through her shower. Part of her brain – the impulsive part – wanted to leave early without even saying goodbye. She didn’t want to keep thinking about it, to constantly be reminded by the kit’s presence alone. Neither her wife nor child were at fault, Catra relied mostly on instinct when caring for her kitten, and Finn had that same sense too for their mother. But that didn’t make the reminder any less painful.

The faucet was shut off and the last drops of water fell down the drain. Adora remained static for a moment in thought, her brain feeling sluggish within the lingering steam of her hot shower. Just outside the bathroom, Adora could hear Catra giggling and talking to Finn as if they were having a casual conversation. A smirk curled her lip upward in amusement; part of her wondered if Catra was giving Finn a stern talking to about their behavior last night.

Adora quickly dried herself off and tied her hair up into a messy bun before throwing on her boxers and pants, leaving her shirt off for the time being so it wouldn’t get soaked from her still damp hair. Adora faced the door with hope in her stride. Maybe today would be different?

The bathroom door opened with a soft creak. Adora smirked upon seeing Catra with Finn laying in the bed beside her as she propped herself up on one arm and beamed down at her little kit, trilling softly between a steady and encouraging purr.

Thankfully, walking in on that image was enough to replenish her hollow heart from last night’s events. Adora snickered and approached the bed to give her wife a good morning kiss on the cheek before getting ready to leave for her meeting. The slightest rumble came from Finn’s chest, very soft and hardly steady like Catra’s was, but a purr none the less. Adora chuckled. “Not bad for a newbie.” She teased and took a chance by scratching the little tufts of fur on Finn’s chest.

For one peaceful moment, Adora was able to forgive and forget Finn’s little hiss from last night. Her finger managed to sift through their soft fur only a few times before the magi-kitten stilled their movements and grabbed at Adora’s hand. They sniffed at her calloused finger repeatedly, that little wet nose leaving tiny traces of mucous on Adora’s skin as they studied the scent.

The blonde practically held her breath in anticipation, hell, even Catra did; both anxiously waiting to see how this event would play out, or if it would just be a repeat of last night. Even so, Catra kept on purring and chirping to her baby, as if to reassure her tiny kitten that this bald and doofy-looking magicat was nothing to be afraid of.

Only a few seconds had passed yet it felt like a lifetime of waiting to see how Finn would react. Additionally, it would more than likely determine how the rest of Adora’s day would go, and maybe even her entire week.

Finn lightly pushed Adora’s hand back to inspect the person attached to it, a curious look to their stare as the blue-eyed blondes matched with each other. Being so young, Finn mostly relied on their sense of smell in such a big world as their vision and hearing had yet to fully develop. But here they were, staring up at Adora with an almost confused look in their eyes. They blinked several times and reached their little arms up in response as if they were kneading the air. Although, their timid expression remained as little whimpers of uncertainty escaped their mouth.

Adora very slowly began to pull her hand away, unsure of what to make of Finn’s reaction. Was it good? Bad? They didn’t necessarily _look_ or _sound_ happy to see her.

Beside her, Catra trilled quietly and encouraged positive reinforcement for her kit. And the second mama Catra spoke to little Finn – specifically, in a way they could understand – those little ears perked right up as their attention snapped towards the familiar sound with a faint smirk. 

Whatever smile was left on her face had now slowly disappeared from Adora’s lips as she backed up and turned away from the kit. Those were two _very_ different reactions between Finn seeing their mothers, which means even at three weeks old, they saw Adora and Catra very differently. Right as Adora walked away, Finn’s distressed noises from before quickly turned into full crying with tears.

Catra reached out and tried to catch her wife before she got too far, her attention divided between her kit and wife. “Adora, _wait_ —” she pleaded desperately.

“I have to finish getting ready for my meeting.” She grumbled under her breath and moved back into the bathroom. Thankfully, the door closed behind her just in time as more tears fell from her eyes. Adora choked down the lump once again and quickly turned the sink to full blast, her intention of having the loud flow of the water muffle her cries as her heart broke all over again.

What was she doing wrong? Catra said her scent should be enough for a magi-kitten; or at the very least, it was expected of Finn to recognize it. But the way they looked at Adora with complete disinterest and then lighting up after hearing Catra’s chirps. Adora hung her head to her chest, braced her weight against the counter, and tightly gripped the sides of the sink with white knuckles.

Just outside the door, Finn continued to cry. Catra only managed to hush their whines for moments at a time before they completely unraveled once again.

Adora strained her jaw and eyelids shut. Her anxiety made an absolute fool of her as she had an emotional breakdown locked away in her own bathroom. She wanted to cry but didn’t want to be too obvious. Back in the Horde, she’d always shove her emotions down, she wasn’t allowed to feel, just obey. _Be a good little soldier and do as you’re told._

A soft whimper crept out from between her lips and Adora flinched from the strain. Her hands burned from clenching so hard as a warm sensation filled her chest, spreading through her limbs.

A loud crack suddenly snapped her out of it as she released the sink and backed off the counter. She had to leave. She didn’t care how early she would be for the meeting, she had to get out of the room. Adora hardly had any cognitive thought outside of the word _escape_ , but she managed to put on her shirt and fix her messy hair.

Adora caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and tried to collect herself before she left the room with what little pride she had left. A shaky breath drew in and out of her lungs, the deep need to cry scraped away at her restraints.

Tiny cries could still be heard outside of the bathroom, Adora blamed herself. She blamed herself over and over and over again. At this point, it felt like fear. Adora excused herself from the interaction and yet they continued to cry. She raised and held her trembling arms out to try and keep them steady but failed.

That was when Adora noticed the sink just out of her peripherals...

Large cracks along the sides of the frame nearly folded the sink in half where her hands tightly strained against the ceramic.

Adora’s face went flush from embarrassment before she darted out of the bathroom, grabbed her shoes, and left for the meeting forty minutes early. She didn’t care, her head felt like static and was begging her to leave.

“Adora, wait, _please_ —” Catra barely got a single word out before their bedroom door closed shut behind the blonde, leaving the magicat alone with her whimpering kitten.

***

Why was she even at this stupid meeting to begin with? Adora buried her face in her hands and rubbed at her tired eyes. They were well over an hour into the meeting and the First One could hardly focus to save her life. She had no idea what they were talking about now, or thirty minutes ago. She couldn’t stop thinking about Finn.

She liked to think she was doing everything right... after all, Finn seemed to be able to pick out her voice amidst all others even from within Catra’s tummy. Or maybe it was all just a part of her “ _magical connection_ ”?

Adora doodled tiny shapes and patterns all over the papers displayed out before her, which she was _supposed_ to be using to follow along. Her brain checked back in and realized she had doodled She Ra’s old sword design between the lettering.

_She Ra..._

Maybe that had something to do with it? Maybe that was the reason why Finn was so distressed by Adora... was it because they recognized her as _She Ra_ instead? N-no, no that didn’t make sense... Finn hasn’t officially met her alter ego yet, and probably won’t for a good while. Could it just be a difference in recognition between species? Magicats were rare to come by so any information on them was scarce. Not even Mara’s ship had any data concerning the race.

Can babies even pick favorites at less than a month old? Or maybe it was something in her smell? Adora paused for a moment in thought. Was her scent… _bad?_ No, no, that can’t be right… Catra would’ve told her by now, right? A moment passed. _Right?_

A slight nudge to the arm startled Adora away from her wandering thoughts. She flinched slightly in surprise and saw a note sitting beside her arm: “you awake?” was neatly written cursive beside a doodle of a smiley face.

Adora looked over and caught the gentlest look from Bow, his eyes soft with concern. She quickly glanced around the war table to make sure they wouldn’t be too much of a distraction to the others as the meeting kept on. Adora scribbled a response on the paper and passed it back. “Just tired is all.”

Bow cocked his head to the side to better read the note. He stared at the words for a moment, it made sense, but he wanted to be sure. “Finn keeping you up?” The King scribbled back.

Adora’s eyes lingered on the word, her hand hovering over the paper, trying to figure out how to reply. Or if she even wanted to. 

It was familiar… and enough to be an answer too. Bow took the paper back and scribbled something else. The focus on his face evident as he did his best to pick the right words. He handed it back. “Luna didn’t like me holding her either. Just give it time.” A gentle smiley face ended the response. 

Adora read the sentiment and brushed a hand over her mouth as she choked down the lump that quickly returned to her throat once more. Her eyes went up to match with the master archer’s and she felt her heart fall heavy all over again. 

***

Half of Adora was glad the meeting was finally over but the other half was also dreading going back to her room. She _did_ leave Catra all alone with Finn… despite her anxiety attack getting the better of her, that didn’t necessarily excuse her actions.

Her steps were sluggish, lightly scuffing at the polished floor beneath her shoes as she slowly made her way down the hall. Upon approach, Adora didn’t hear any crying… Catra probably got Finn to settle down mere minutes after she left for the meeting. Even in these three short weeks, the one thing Adora found herself a bit jealous of was Catra’s adept maternal instinct. Or, again, maybe it was just a magicat thing that only her and Finn could understand.

Now mere feet away, Adora’s hand anxiously hovered over the doorknob. There was a muffled noise coming from within their room, perhaps Catra _didn’t_ get Finn to settle down? Now she was concerned for a completely different reason. Adora sighed, temporarily shoving her nerves aside as she bit her lip wryly but pressed forward.

The door squeaked just slightly upon Adora entering, and suddenly, Finn’s tiny whimpers turned into sharp and distressed mews.

Sitting within the rocking chair, Catra’s shoulders dropped heavy in defeat. “No, baby, it’s okay. Shh, shh… what’s wrong?” She cooed the tiny kit in her arms and tried lulling them back to whatever semi-calm state they were in just before Adora opened the door.

_Here comes that guilt again_ … her brain snapped. Adora strained her jaw but fought her anxiety head on. She approached her wife and kit quickly yet carefully, her concern evident with every little action. “What’s wrong? A-are they okay?” Nervous eyes focused on the squirming infant. 

A heavy sigh from the mother reflected her exhaustion, clearly running out of patience. “They’ve been on and off for the past hour. I have no idea why they’re so fussy.” Catra tried trilling once again to calm Finn’s unruly noises but to no avail. “Literally since you started getting ready this morning, they’ve been nothing but stubborn.” Catra rose from the chair and met her wife halfway, almost as if to pass Finn off before Adora stopped dead in her tracks. Something about that little action sent a pang directly through Catra’s chest. Adora felt so disconnected from the baby she didn’t even want to hold them. A hollow ache echoed through her body as she looked down at the still fussing magi-kitten.

Adora swallowed hard. “A-are they sick? Did they eat something today?” She wanted to reach out and touch the infant’s soft head but coiled her fingers back timidly.

“They’re not running a fever,” Catra felt the little kit’s forehead for the fourth time in the past hour and huffed. “And they definitely ate something earlier…” somehow, she only managed to calm the unruly newborn down for a few minutes at most before they began fussing again. 

“Should I go get someone? Maybe Glimmer? She might know what to do.” Adora proposed, already looking towards the door.

“I-I don’t know… I doubt she’ll be able to help.” Catra huffed with exhaustion. She figured it wasn’t something so easily fixed… they were doing fine this morning before _randomly_ becoming distressed. Catra’s ears turned back against her head, she just needed to breathe, take a second to stop and think. “Adora, can you—?” Catra turned her arm towards her wife, insisting she take the baby.

The blonde almost jolted back, holding up her arms in surrender. “I-I don’t want to make things worse…” she averted her eyes from the magicats. The mere sound of Finn sobbing dug into her heart, she wanted to help, to cradle them in her arms, protect and nurture them… but would she be able to? Would Finn accept her safety?

Catra felt her lower lip tremble. “Adora, you won’t make it worse, you’re their _mother_ , please, just—” she tried passing them off again and took a step closer to her wife.

Adora retreated and took another step back. “B-but it doesn’t feel like it though!” She blurted loudly amidst the cries. “They treat me like I’m a _stranger_! Crying out to you for help every time I try to hold or feed them!”

Catra fought back and took a step closer in rebuttal; her voice desperate and confused. “Adora, that’s not true!”

Anger took over, her heart throbbed heavy with longing. To think back on how they waited so long to be parents, months had passed just holding out for a positive result. The overwhelming joy when they found out that finally… _finally_ , they were going to have a family of their own. Adora practically trembled at Catra’s claim; _that’s not true_ , the magicat was so desperate to make Adora believe. The First One fought so hard to keep from breaking, her fingers curled at her sides. “Finn doesn’t want me!” She blurted impulsively and heaved with exhaustion, the breath hiking in her throat. The room fell silent as her words echoed off the walls. Adora hung her head, only now realizing she had been crying. “N-not like they want you.”

The air was still, even Finn’s cries settled down for a moment, frightened by Adora’s outburst. They whimpered softly, curling closer into their mother’s fluffy chest for safety.

Hollow; that was the best way to describe Catra’s expression, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Adora’s shoulders shook as she trembled quietly to herself and Catra carefully shortened the distance between them, her free hand cupping her wife’s face. “Adora…”

The First One shook her head and mapped one hand over Catra’s. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t—” her cries picked up as she struggled to finish her own apology. “I didn’t mean to yell, I—”

“Shh, don’t apologize.” Catra cut her off and gently pressed their foreheads together. “Don’t you _dare_ apologize, Adora.” She pecked gentle kisses along the blonde’s soft skin and nuzzled closer, their bodies practically flush against each other. “I’m sorry…” she whispered. “I’m _so_ sorry, Adora. I really thought they were doing better.” Catra tried to explain, her voice quivered and fought back tears herself. “This morning before you left, I could tell they were trying to figure it out, but then you pulled away and—”

A tiny whimper interrupted the heartfelt moment. Catra and Adora turned their attention down to the tiny kit in the magicat’s arms, those little paws kneading the air like before as they whimpered. With both eyes still closed, Finn raised their nose up and sniffed around, their attention slowly leaned towards the First One with curiosity. They paused for just a moment, then released an itty-bitty trill followed by a soft mew.

“I… w-what are they doing?” Adora asked with a quiet sniff.

Catra snickered to herself, slightly out of surprise, and adjusted her arms. “They want you to hold them, mama.” She shifted her hands and passed the newborn over to her wife.

“C-Catra, I—” Adora hesitated, but carefully took the kitten in her anxious grip despite the ache in her chest. She curled them close like always, though timid all the while.

Finn squirmed just slightly in her strong yet gentle grip, grasping at the fabric of Adora’s shirt and curling their nose against her chest. Their whimpers hushed as they desperately sniffed at the person holding them. Those little nostrils flaring in and out as they focused on the scent, adjusting their head to a different spot, and repeating. For a moment, Finn’s eyes fluttered open, timid at first and weak, but those bright blue eyes looked back up at Adora, blinking several times to adjust to the light. 

“H-hey, little one.” Her breath shaky as a smile quickly flashed on her lips. Seeing those little baby blues warmed her heart all over again... but Adora would rather not get her hopes up too soon. She was unsure as to what the little connection meant. They weren’t screaming yet... _yet_ , there was still plenty of time for Finn to change their mind. 

But instead, they were silent, peaceful even. Finn tightened their claws into the fabric of Adora’s shirt and nuzzled their cheek into their mother’s chest, lightly scenting against her skin. Then, ever so softly, Finn began to purr, their entire chest vibrating in an unsteady rhythm as before.

Catra grinned softly and curled around her little family. “You’re right, Adora, they’re not half bad for a newbie.” She nudged the blonde beside her playfully.

Adora gently stroked her finger through Finn’s chest tufts and quietly snickered to herself, partly from feeling how soft their little purrs were. “I-I don’t understand, why were they so upset this morning?” She turned a curious look to her wife and hoped she had an explanation.

“I was wondering the same thing. But once you left, I was able to calm them down for a few minutes at a time. Then as your meeting came to an end, they became more restless and I had a thought.” Catra snickered to herself and peered up at Adora with a smug look on her face. “How far away would you say the war room is from here?”

Adora paused and thought for a moment… considering how long it took her to walk from one side of the castle to the other. Probably… 60 meters? Maybe a little mor— “Wait…” her confused stare turned back to the magicat and she was met with a coy smirk. “Are you saying...”

Catra held up her index finger to pause. “Here’s what I _think_ happened...” she paused for a moment and gently stroked Finn’s thin hair. “I think they were confused. They can’t really see or hear too well right now, so they rely on smell and tactile senses. Meaning, you _smelled_ right, but you didn’t _feel_ right.” Catra poked at Adora’s skin and her lack of fur for emphasis.

The First One glanced down at her kitten and carefully watched their every move. Finn had curled right up into her arms and chest while their little paws kneaded at the fabric of her shirt, occasionally picking those tiny claws into Adora’s skin. She cocked her head to the side curiously and watched their little nostrils flare in and out as they sniffed.

Catra continued. “I think what happened this morning was accidental. I could tell they were figuring it out, which was why I encouraged them.” There was a brief pause, Adora looked up and caught a glimpse of Catra’s distant expression. “And then you walked out.”

The blonde heard her baby whimper just slightly at the reminder. Instinct brought her lips down to their head to press a soft kiss to their fur as she hushed the magi-kitten. “You only freaked out because _I_ freaked out, didn’t you?” Adora gently brushed her thumb down Finn’s cheek and they turned their head towards the touch.

“That’s some magical connection, huh?” Catra playfully bumped hips with her wife before curling around her strong frame to admire their sleeping baby. The tender moment was rather short as Catra felt the blonde tremble beneath her hold with a sniff. The magicat faced her wife and held her cheeks in her palms. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

Adora couldn’t help but laugh at herself, thinking her tears to be quite silly, especially considering how much concern Catra had shown for her. “It’s nothing, I promise, I just…” the First One wiped her wet eyes with her spare hand and looked back down at Finn as they remained peaceful amidst her hushed sobs. Their face was so perfect as they drifted off to sleep, finally finding comfort in the warm embrace of their own mother. Adora delicately brushed the soft fur of Finn’s ears with the tip of her index finger alone, how small and fragile they were in comparison. A deep warmth spread from Adora’s chest out to her fingertips as she snickered again. “I spent so much time worrying that they didn’t know who I was.” Her face beamed with pride as she looked back down at Finn with pure love in her eyes. Another weak sob slipped past her lips and Adora gently curled the little kitten closer to her chest. “You had me worrying for _nothing_ , little one.” She teased quietly and pressed a soft kiss to their fluffy head.

“Adora?”

The blonde looked up from admiring her magi-kitten, eyes glossed over with happy tears.

“You’re glowing.” Catra purred, looking the First One up and down with a coy smile.

Adora looked down at herself to see light traces of bright magic dancing along her skin. How she didn’t notice the light reflecting in Catra’s eyes… or how she lit up the room just slightly… Adora’s cheeks blushed with a shy smile. “Whoops.”


End file.
